Sequences

Sidebar: Automate → Automations → Sequences. A drip campaign: an ordered series of messages, each sent a set time after the last. Someone joins, walks the steps, and either finishes or unsubscribes.

Sequences live as a section on the Automations page. Editing one opens /sequences/{id}/edit; creating one opens /sequences/new.

Growth and up.

Build a sequence

1. Go to Automations and find the Sequences section, or open /sequences/new.
2. Name it — e.g. Welcome drip.
3. Add your first step and write the message. Merge tags work: Use {{first_name}} to personalise.
4. Each step carries its own delay. The first step's control reads "Send N minutes/hours/days after they subscribe" (default 1 day — set 0 for an immediate welcome); every later step's "Then wait" is measured from the previous step.
5. Add more steps. Reorder with Move up / Move down; remove with the ×.
6. Optionally toggle a single step off (it shows Paused) to skip it without deleting it.
7. Optionally give a step a send window: toggle "Only send during set hours" on that step's card, pick the from/to hours (defaults 09:00–20:00) and the days of the week. Steps due outside their window wait for it to open. Windows are per step — different steps can keep different hours.
8. Flip the Live toggle, then save: Save draft with it off, Save & go live with it on.

The first enabled step always shows an advisory to keep ads and offers out of the opening message — Meta's policy treats an unsolicited promotional DM as spam. It is guidance only; it never blocks saving.

Delete (in the editor) stops all sends immediately but keeps subscribers parked: the sequence can be restored from Recently deleted for 30 days and subscribers resume exactly where they were. After 30 days it is purged for good.

The send window

A step's window keeps a 3am "wait 12 hours" step from landing at 3am. The hours you pick are UTC — Instagram doesn't share a contact's timezone, so the editor shows the hour selects with a literal "UTC" label. Convert your intended local hours to UTC when setting them (e.g. 9:00–20:00 in Sydney ≈ 23:00–10:00 UTC).

How people join

Four ways, all of which point at the same sequence:

1. By hand — open the contact in Contacts and click Subscribe on the sequence's row.
2. A rule — the Subscribe to sequence action. See rules.md.
3. A flow — the Subscribe to sequence action node. See flow-builder.md.
4. An automation that leads into one of the above.

Only live sequences appear as a subscribe target.

How people leave

• Unsubscribe on the contact's drawer in Contacts.
• The Unsubscribe from sequence action in a rule or flow.
• They finish the last step — status becomes Completed.
• They opt out of messaging entirely (STOP), which stops every automated send.

A contact's status shows in their drawer: an active subscription reads "On step N · next <date>", a finished one Completed, a left one Unsubscribed.

A contact enters a given sequence once, ever. Someone who completed or unsubscribed cannot be re-subscribed — the Subscribe button shows a disabled Entered — and re-subscribing an active contact does nothing.

What you see in the list

Each sequence row shows its name, a Live or Draft badge, how many steps it has, and how many subscribers.

Every send still passes the gate

A sequence step is an outbound message like any other: the 24-hour window, consent and rate caps all apply. A step that can't be delivered (window closed, no consent) is skipped for that contact, not retried — the sequence moves on to the next step on its normal schedule. Only a temporary rate cap causes a retry. See concepts.md.

Common questions

What's the difference between a sequence and a broadcast? A sequence is timed relative to when each person joins — everyone gets step 1, then step 2 a day later, on their own clock. A broadcast goes to everyone at once.

Can I edit a live sequence? Yes. People mid-sequence continue from where they are.

Can someone be in two sequences at once? Yes.

Why can't I set my sequence live? Any plan can build and save a draft sequence. Setting one live needs Growth or above — "Save & go live" below that is refused with an upgrade message. Returning a live sequence to draft is never blocked. See plans-and-billing.md.